The water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa is a harrowing example of what can happen when environmental changes and political inaction collide. As we witness through the documentary City without Water, people are struggling to survive with only 50 liters of water per day, while those who can afford it purchase bottled water to supplement these restrictions. This has had a severe impact on city revenues, resulting in consumer water bills rising and a decline in tourism that has further deepened poverty levels.
The situation is dire: rainfall levels are below average, agricultural production is drastically reduced, public sanitation systems are deteriorating, health epidemics are spreading and the environment is being devastated. To make matters worse, the international community has largely ignored warnings from experts about this impending crisis for years. The effects of climate change have been especially damaging to the region and yet so little has been done to help address it.
The documentary City without Water takes us behind the scenes to explore how city officials are trying to manage the crisis and how desperate citizens are fighting for their lives every day. We hear firsthand accounts from ordinary people who want their voices heard and from political scientists who explain why an infrastructure overhaul is essential in order to prevent similar catastrophes from happening elsewhere in the world.
This film paints a devastating portrait of an arid landscape that will shock viewers into taking action before it’s too late. We must all be aware of our own responsibilities as global citizens when it comes to protecting our planet before disasters like this one become more widespread. We urge
